Stella Gummow Welch

Stella was born Stella Evangeline Dynes in Mono Township, Ontario and came west in 1901 when her family moved to Greenwood. Later they lived in Nelson and Stella went with her mother to the meeting in 1909 when Laura Rose organized an Institute there.  Mrs. Dynes was a charter member of Nelson WI.

Later Stella attended high school in Penticton and her mother was President of the local WI.

Stella herself became a WI member when teaching school in Langford in 1918. Two years later she married Benjamin Franklin Gummow and moved to Peachland where she became the secretary of the Institute, she refused any office while her son and daughter were small, but came back to active WI work in 1935  when she was elected President of Peachland WI – the following year she became the Secretary of the South Okanagan – Similkameen District. She was a provincial convener for the next four years, Provincial President from 1940 - 1944  and corresponding secretary of the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada.  

After the passing of her husband, she succeeded him as Reeve of Peachland. She was Chairman of the local Victory Loan Committee and a member of the Advisory  Council to the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.  As  her son was serving in the RCAF, she had the responsibility of running the family orchard.  After two years she gave up her position as Reeve and moved to Vancouver so her daughter could continue her education. In 1946 she became Superintendent  of the WI, a position she held for  twelve years until she resigned to marry Herbert Welch of Qualicum Beach, who passed away a year later. She moved to West Vancouver  and joined Point Grey WI. She passed away in 1991.    

Stella brought to her many enterprises an outstanding organizational skill, a flair for business management, a heart-warming memory for faces and names; tact, charm and the gift of holding an audience.  While superintendent, she attended all district conferences, thoroughly enjoying the adventures of her travels. One of her greatest accomplishments was the encouragement and support she has given to timid members  and so the enrichment of the lives of these women though Women's Institute work.  Stella left a host of scrapbooks chronicling her travels overseas, and a substantial volume of materials tracking her time as BCWI Superintendent. She gathered a most credible list of WI contribution to the war effort, 1939 – 1945, and oversaw the procurement of sugar for the various jam-making  operations. For her persistence in speaking to government officials about sugar supplies she was dubbed “Sugar Stella.”    

She was a great lady!

Ruth Fenner, Provincial Historian, British Columbia Women's Institute